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Golem

The earliest stories ofgolems date to early Judaism. Adam is described in the Talmud (Tractate

Sanhedrin 38b) as initially created as a golem when his dust was "kneaded into a shapeless husk". Like

Adam, all golems are created from mud. They were a creation of those who were very holy and close to

God. A very holy person was one who strove to approach God, and in that pursuit would gain some of

God's wisdom and power. One of these powers was the creation of life. No matter how holy a person

became, however, a being created by that person would be but a shadow of one created by God.

Early on, the notion developed, that the main disability of the golem was its inability to speak. In

Sanhedrin65b, is the description of Ravacreating a man (gavra). He sent him to Rav Zeira; Rav Zeira

spoke to him, but he did not answer. Said Rav Zeira: "You were created by the magicians; return to your

dust."

Golems are elemental beings ofthe four primary elements: fire, water, air and earth.

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Basilisk

In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk (English pronunciation: /bzlsk/, from the Greek

basilskos, "little king"; Latin Regulus) is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents

and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance. It is produced in the province of Cyrene,

being not more than twelve fingers in length. It has a white spot on the head, strongly resembling a sort

of a diadem. When it hisses, all the other serpents fly from it: and it does not advance its body, like the

others, by a succession of folds, but moves along upright and erect upon the middle. It destroys all

shrubs, not only by its contact, but those even that it has breathed upon; it burns up all the grass too,

and breaks the stones, so tremendous is its noxious influence. It was formerly a general belief that if a

man on horseback killed one of these animals with a spear, the poison would run up the weapon and

kill, not only the rider, but the horse as well. To this dreadful monster the effluvium of the weasel is

fatal, a thing that has been tried with success, for kings have often desired to see its body when killed;

so true is it that it has pleased Nature that there should be nothing without its antidote. The animal is

thrown into the hole of the basilisk, which is easily known from the soil around it being infected. The

weasel destroys the basilisk by its odour, but dies itself in this struggle of nature against its own self.

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Hydra

Hydra is an ancient Greek mythical beast that was mentioned in the tale of the twelve labours of

Hercules (also called Heracles). The hydra has 9 heads, the number of head varies from different

versions of the legend, however, more accounts agree on nine. It was said that the middle one was

immortal and it has very poisonous venom and breath.

If the heads are cut off, the heads would grow back. One head cut-off would result to two heads

growing back in its place.

The Hydra was believed to have lived in the Lernean marsh which is located near Argolis, the region

around Argos, Greece.

The serpent-woman Echinda and the hundred headed Typhon are Hydras parents. His siblings include

the Cerberus and the Chimera .

The Hydra guards the entrance to the Underworld and from the murky swamps of the Lake of Lerna the

monstrous serpent would rise and terrorize the city.

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Cerberus

Cerberus, (pronounced /srb()rs/; Greek form: , [kerberos]) in Greek and Roman

mythology, is a multi-headed hound (usually three-headed) which guards the gates of Hades, to prevent

those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping.

Cerberus is said to be the sibling of the Hydra and the Chimera.

Cerberus was the offspring of Echidna, a hybrid half-woman and half-serpent, and Typhon, a fire-

breathing giant whom even the Olympian gods feared. Its brother is Orthrus, always depicted as a two-

headed hellhound. The common depiction of Cerberus in Greek mythology and art is as having three

heads, a mane of live serpents (similar to Medusa's hair) and a snake's tail. In most works the three-

heads each respectively see and represent the past, the present, and the future, while other sources

suggest the heads represent birth, youth, and old age. Each of Cerberus' heads is said to have an

appetite only for live meat and thus allow the spirits of the dead to freely enter the underworld, butallow none to leave. Cerberus was always employed as Hades' loyal watchdog, and guarded the gates

that granted access and exit to the underworld (also called Hades).

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ChimeraIn Greek mythology, the Chimera (Greek (Chmaira); Latin Chimaera) was a monstrous fire-

breathing creature of Lycia in Asia Minor, composed of the parts of multiple animals: upon the body of a

lioness with a tail that terminated in a snake's head, the head of a goat arose on her back at the center

of her spine. The Chimera was one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of such monsters

as Cerberus and the Hydra.

Homer's brief description in the Iliad is the earliest surviving literary reference: "a thing of immortal

make, not human, lion-fronted and snake behind, a goat in the middle, and snorting out the breath of

the terrible flame of bright fire". Elsewhere in the Iliad, Homer attributes the rearing of Chimaera to

Amisodorus. Hesiod's Theogony follows the Homeric description: he makes the Chimera the issue of

Echidna: "She was the mother of Chimaera who breathed raging fire, a creature fearful, great, swift-

footed and strong, who had three heads, one of a grim-eyed lion; in her hinderpart, a dragon; and in her

middle, a goat, breathing forth a fearful blast of blazing fire. Her did Pegasus and noble Bellerophon

slay"

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Centaur

In Greek mythology, the centaurs (from Ancient Greek: - Kntauroi) are a composite race of

creatures, part human and part horse. In early Attic and Boeotian vase-paintings, as on the kantharos

(illustrated below left), they are depicted with the hindquarters of a horse attached to them; in later

renderings centaurs are given the torso of a human joined at the waist to the horse's withers, where the

horse's neck would be.

The centaurs were usually said to have been born of Ixion and Nephele (the cloud made in the image of

Hera). Another version, however, makes them children of a certain Centaurus, who mated with the

Magnesian mares. This Centaurus was either himselfthe son ofIxion and Nephele (inserting an

additional generation) or of Apollo and Stilbe, daughter of the river god Peneus. In the later version of

the story his twin brother was Lapithus, ancestor of the Lapiths,thus making the two warring peoples

cousins.

Centaurs were said to have inhabited the region of Magnesia and Mount Pelion in Thessaly, the Foloi

oak forest in Elis, and the Malean peninsula in southern Laconia.

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Minotaur

In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (Greek: , Latin: Minotaurus, Etruscan evrumine), as

the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described

by Ovid, "part man and part bull". He dwelt at the center of the Cretan Labyrinth, which was an

elaborate maze-like construction built for King Minos of Crete and designed by the architect Daedalus

and his son Icarus who were ordered to build it to hold the Minotaur.

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Imp

An imp is a mythological being similar to a fairy or demon, frequently described in folklore and

superstition. Their behavior is described as being wild and uncontrollable, much the same as fairies, and

in some cultures they are considered the same beings, both sharing the same sense of free spirit and

enjoyment of all things fun. It was later in history that people began to associate fairies with being good

and imps with being malicious and evil. However, both creatures were fond of pranks and misleading

people. Most of the time, the pranks were harmless fun, but some could be upsetting and harmful, such

as switching babies or leading travelers astray in places they were not familiar with. Imps are often

shown as small and not very attractive creatures.

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Boggart

A boggart (or bogart) is a household fairy which causes things to disappear, milk to sour, and dogs to go

lame. Always malevolent, the boggart will follow its family wherever they flee. The boggart is described

as being rather squat, hairy and smelly. A boggart is a shape-shifting creature that can take on the form

ofthe viewer's worst fear. When facing a boggart, it is best to have someone else along, to try to

confuse it when he trys to scare you. Boggarts are collectors of sensation. While they aren't particularly

intelligent thinkers, they are extremely perceptive, in that they perceive a lot. Their senses are intense: if

we were to have a neurosurgeon look in on their brains, we'd probably find that the nervesfrom their

sensory organs lead directly into their pleasure centers. Boggarts can never get enough novelty, which

gives rise to behavior of exploring and stealing.

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Brownie

Brownies are said to inhabit houses and aid in tasks around the house. However, they do not like to be

seen and will only work at night, traditionally in exchange for small gifts or food. Among food, they

especially enjoy porridge and honey. They usually abandon the house if their gifts are called payments,

or if the owners of the house misuse them. Brownies make their homes in an unused part of the house.

Brownies seldom spoke with humans, but they held frequent and affectionate conversations with one

another. They had general assemblies as well, usually held on a remote, rocky shore. The brownie

enjoyed solitude at certain seasons of the year. Around the end of the harvest, he became more

sociable, and hovered around farmyards, stables and cattle-houses. He particularly enjoyed dairy

products, and tended to intrude on milkmaids, who made regular libations of milk or cream to charm

him off, or to gain his favour. He was usually seen only by those who possessed second sight, though

there were instances when he made himself visible to ordinary people as well. He is said to have been

jolly and personable, with flowing yellow hair, wearing a broad red bonnet and carrying a long walking

staff.

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Shellycoat

In Scottish and Northern English folklore, a shellycoat is a type of bogeyman that

haunts rivers and streams. The name comes from the coat of shells these creatures are said to wear,

which rattle upon movement. Shellycoats are considered to be relatively harmless; they may mislead

wanderers, particularly those they think are trespassing upon the creature's territory, but without

malice. A common tactic of a shellycoat would be to cry out as if drowning and then laugh at the

distracted victim. A shellycoat in mortal seeming is usually quite short or stooped in stature, with long

arms and fingers, a large flat nose and thin, wet hair. He will usually dress such as to cover most of his

body, usually showing only his face and hands. No matter what he wears, it will appear to be noisy and

unsubtle when he moves. In fae seeming, a shellycoat has pale green skin and is covered from head to

toe in small shells of all kinds, from whelks to watersnails, the clattering of which make his movements

loud and obvious. His hair is thin and black, in long wet strands reaching down his back. Only the face

and part of the head, and the hands and feet can be seen clearly. A shellycoat's body is always damp and

clammy, and often smells slightly of stagnant water.

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Barghest (Black Dog)

There is also a story ofa Barghest entering the city ofYork occasionally, where, according to legend, it

preys on lone travellers in thecity's narrow Snickelways. The barghest is essentially a nocturnal spectre,

and its appearance is regarded as a portent ofdeath. Its Welsh form is confined to the sea-coast

parishes, and on the Norfolk coast the creature issupposed to be amphibious, *coming out of the sea by

night and travelling about the lonely lanes. MostBarghests either vanish or fade from sight. Descriptions

differ from each other: the Barghests appear to either beingswallowed into earth or disappearing with a

flash or blast. Some sightings report the apparitions of Barghestswalking on their hind-legs. There are

also descriptions of dogs which increase or decrease in size as wellas some of them may be seen

shapeshifting into another form, human or animal. Barghests have oftenbeen reported as walking

through solid objects. Mostly they took a biped form mostly that of agiant black dog. Sometimes

Barghhest appear silently, other times the sound of their claws ticking willbe heard. Very few times they

have been reported barking or growling; still less the Barghests that laughor speak or those whose

appearance is linked to the sound of chains.